True Perfection
by Hanniedee
Summary: Edward and his sisters, Alice and Rosalie, have been raised to believe perfection is attainable. They are expected to achieve nothing less. But Edward questions his views on perfection when he meets Bella Swan. Can she help him change for the better? AH/A


**So I got writers block while trying to finish chapter 10 of Hands Clean. I decided to just write something else to get my mind off of it for a while. It got way out of hand and now I have a new story! Haha. I really like where it's going and I'm probably going to have lemons in this one, so be warned! **

**Enjoy!**

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EPOV

"Edward darling! It's 6:45, time for appearance check!" I heard my mother call from the bottom of the stairs. _My favorite part of the day._ The part where my two sisters and I line up in front of the door while our parents pick us apart. I glanced in the mirror one last time, trying to fix every little imperfection so my mother and father would be pleased.

My hair was gelled into place, parted on the side just like mother wanted it. My blue button up shirt was wrinkle free and the white sweater I wore over it had been inspected for any snags or loose threads. The khaki pants I wore were brand new, so aside from removing any tags or stickers on them, they were perfect. I made sure my shoe laces were tied correctly and covered them with my pants. Mother said it was tacky for shoe laces to show, I had learned that lesson the hard way when I was 10.

Once I was sure everything was perfect, I grabbed my messenger bag and headed down the stairs. My twin sister Alice and our older sister Rosalie were already there by the door. I took my place next to Alice, so we were in order of birth, oldest to youngest. Rosalie is 20, she's a sophomore in college. Alice and I are 17 and seniors in high school.

"Edward, your mother shouldn't have to tell you when to come downstairs in the morning. You're old enough now to make it down here on time without the aid of your parents!" _But apparently not old enough to pick my own outfits or choose my own interests or even make my own friends…_

"I'm sorry sir. It won't happen again." I apologized to my father, knowing that's what he wanted to hear. I didn't have to mean it, I just had to say it. It was all part of the act. He gave me a curt nod before he and mother walked towards Rosalie. Mother fidgeted with the dress she was wearing, smoothing invisible wrinkles, before tucking a single strand of loose blond hair behind her ear.

"Now you're perfect, Rosalie." Mother gave her a kiss on the cheek before moving on to Alice. The pride in my mothers face was evident as she gave her favorite child one look and a kiss on the cheek. "Never a hair out of place! I couldn't be more proud of you Alice!" Alice smiled smugly. This was all a game to her and she always wins. My mother made her last stop in front of me. She walked a circle around me, scrutinizing everything. Tugging at my sweater, finding microscopic pieces of lint. Then pulled a small comb from her pocket and began brushing the few uncooperative pieces of hair back into place. Finally she adjusted my collar and patted my shoulder. "I'm disappointed Edward. Please do better tomorrow."

"Yes Ma'am." I was disappointed too. I had tried so hard to find any imperfection, even making myself late. But it still wasn't enough. I could never live up to their expectations and it killed me.

"Have a good day at school kids. I'll pick you up at 2:45 on the dot." With that we filed out the door and into Rosalie's car. Alice started babbling on about our biology assignment that was due today, but I was too distracted to listen. I needed to try harder to impress my parents. At this point that seemed impossible, I felt I always did everything to the best of my ability. Like my father says though, _Your best can always be better._ I tried to put those thoughts on the back burner for the time being. I glanced over at Rosalie when I realized she had yet to speak a word. She was usually just as bubbly as Alice in the mornings. Her face was solemn and her usually rosy cheeks were quite pale.

"Is everything alright Rose?" I asked concerned. Rosalie didn't answer. She kept her eyes on the road in front of her, but I could tell her mind was somewhere else. Alice got quiet in the back, she must have realized something was wrong too. "Rosalie?" I asked again, giving her a gentle nudge. She jumped when I touched her, causing the car to swerve a bit.

"Whoa!" Rosalie exclaimed as she steadied the vehicle. "Sorry about that guys." She took a deep breath and continued. "What were you saying Edward?"

"I was just asking if you were alright. You look a little… distracted." I was trying to avoid saying anything about her physical appearance. We were all very sensitive about that subject, obviously.

"I'm fine Edward. I am a bit distracted today, I'm sorry. I'll pay more attention from now on." That was a typical response for our family. The standard '_This_ is what I've done wrong and _this_ is what I'll do to fix it' reply. I didn't care about that right now though. Something was seriously bothering my sister and I needed to find out what it was.

"You know you can talk to me Rose. Mom and Dad aren't here. You can tell me anything." She smiled and patted my knee.

"Thank you Edward. I really am fine though. I'm just a little worried about an exam I have today, that's all." I glanced at Alice in the mirror on the visor. She gave me a look telling me we were on the same page. We both knew something was up with Rose, but we weren't going to push it right now.

Rosalie dropped us off in front of Forks High school at exactly 7:15. Alice and I shared most of our classes, so we walked together to homeroom. When we reached the room I was a little shocked to find my normal seat occupied by a student I'd never seen before. She had messy brown hair pulled back into a loose pony tail. She was wearing a wrinkled sweater and jeans that were frayed at the bottom. Most of the kids here were unkempt, but this girl took the cake. She had books and papers scattered on the desk in front of her and she seemed to be trying to fit them all into her too small back pack. _Unkempt and disorganized_, I thought to myself. Alice gave me a knowing look as we took the two empty seats on either side of her.

The girl looked at Alice as she sat down. Alice gave her a warm smile and stuck out her hand. This was one of the only rules Alice ever broke. Alice loved people and she loved making new friends, even friends my parents would never approve of. I rolled my eyes at her as she introduced herself.

"Hi! I'm Alice Cullen. You must be Isabella Swan? The Chief's daughter?"_ Oh right, The Chief's daughter_. I wasn't really in to gossip, so I didn't hear much. That name, on the other hand, was the _only_ thing I'd heard about for the past two weeks.

"It's just Bella, but yeah… that's me. Nice to meet you Alice." The girl said as she shook Alice's hand. I knew what was coming next and I prayed that maybe just once, Alice would skip this part. I hated meeting new people. I was awkward and shy because my parents refused to socialize us as children. How Alice turned into the social butterfly she is, was beyond me. Rose and I were practically recluses.

"Bella, this is my twin brother Edward." I cringed at the thought of having to converse. I mustered up some courage and turned in my seat to face the girl. When our eyes met, I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. She had the most soulful dark brown eyes I had ever seen. I got lost in them as I realized something. Her messy hair, her old wrinkled clothing the disorganization that seemed to rule her life, didn't matter… none of it mattered. Because she was beautiful. She was perfect.

BPOV

"Bells? Bella!" I groaned and rolled over in my bed to face Charlie, who was standing over me with an amused look on his face.

"What." I asked flatly. I was pissed at him for waking me up at… what time was it?

"Were you planning on going to school today?" his shoulders shook with laughter. "Because it's 10 til' 7." I shot out of bed looking towards my alarm clock that was supposed to wake me up. I couldn't see the clock though, just a pile of clothes I had yet to put away. I got up and through the clothes on the floor, revealing my beeping alarm clock underneath.

"Crap! Geez dad! Couldn't you have woken me or something?" he was still laughing as he walked out the door.

"I just did! Have a good day Bells." I heard him walk down the stairs and go out the front door.

I ran to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face. Luckily I had taken a shower last night. My hair was a useless pile of curls and tangles, so I pulled it into the neatest ponytail I could manage. I got back to my room and threw on the first semi-clean things I found, grabbed my back pack and ran downstairs and out the front door.

I smiled when I saw my truck. Charlie had given it to me as a welcome home present. I had been here since Friday and all in all, it's not as bad as I thought it would be. Charlie's great, I had missed him a lot. I hadn't been to keen on the idea of moving to Forks, but I couldn't graduate on time if I was constantly moving around with my mom and her new ball-playing husband, Phil. So Forks and Charlie, was really my only option.

The truck started with a pop, when I turned the key. I glanced at my watch, 7:07. Out of bed and on my way in 17 minutes. That was definitely a new record. I made it to school in three minutes since it was barely two blocks from my house. I'd probably walk if the weather was ever nice here. Was the weather ever nice here? The school was small, very small, but cozy and homey. I liked it. The office was tiny and I felt claustrophobic squeezing in there with three other students. The lady behind the desk somehow knew exactly who I was, which kinda freaked me out.

"Oh! You must be Isabella Swan!" She said excitedly. The other kids in the office gawked at me, making me extremely uncomfortable.

"Um, just Bella." I replied lamely. I bit my lip and looked at my dirty sneakers.

"Well, Bella. Here's your schedule and your books." She sat a huge stack of books on the desk in front of her, before speaking again. "This is Mike Newton, he's offered to walk you to homeroom." I looked up to see a baby faced blond haired boy smiling at me.

"Um thanks." I said to the lady behind the desk. I turned to face Mike. "You don't have to walk me, I'm sure I can find it myself."

"No, no I want to!" He stepped towards the desk and picked up the books, gesturing for me to follow him as he walked out the door.

"Thanks. Do you want me to carry a few?" They looked pretty heavy, I wondered how I was going to fit them in my backpack. I guess I'd just leave some in my locker.

"Oh no, I've got'em. So, you moved here from Phoenix?"

"Yeah, I got here on Friday." I said cheerfully. Mike seemed like a nice guy. A little overzealous maybe, but nice.

"That's cool. Do you like it so far?" he asked, stopping in front of a small classroom.

"Yeah, it's okay. A little rainy," I joked "but nice." He laughed and pointed to a locker right next to the door.

"That's your locker and this is your homeroom. We have a few classes together, so I'll see you around okay?" I took my books and thanked him for carrying them, then stepped into the classroom. I set my books down on one of the first desks I reached and sank into the chair. Looking at my schedule, I tried to decide witch books to put in my backpack and which books to store in my locker.

I heard the seats on either side of me being pulled out. I looked to my right and saw a pixie like girl sitting next to me. She was stunning, to say the least. I had never used the word 'perfect' to describe someone before, but it seemed to be the only one that did her justice. She had short black hair cut to a neat bob, pale white flawless skin that seemed to glow in contrast with her black hair. Her green eyes were breath taking, framed by thick black lashes. She smiled at me and stuck her hand out.

"Hi! I'm Alice Cullen. You must be Isabella Swan? The Chief's daughter?" The fact that everyone seemed to know me already was a bit unsettling. This was a small town though and my father was the chief of police, so it made sense. I took her hand and smiled back.

"It's just Bella, but yeah… that's me. Nice to meet you Alice." She shifted her gaze to the person on my other side.

"Bella, this is my twin brother Edward." I turned to face him, my breath caught when I did. If 'perfect' described Alice… there was nothing to describe her brother. He had the most interesting shade of bronze hair. I'd never seen anything like it. His skin was also almost glowing with it's paleness and he too had beautiful green eyes. I composed my self enough to offer my hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Bella." Edward said in a silky smooth voice as he shook my hand. I felt my heart flutter when we touched.

"Uh, yeah you too… Edward." I managed to mumble out. I withdrew my hand and he gave me a crooked smile. I felt heat rush to my cheeks as my heart beat rapidly. It was so loud I'm sure everyone in the room could hear it. I had never been this attracted to anyone in my entire life. It was embarrassing. Especially since I knew I had no chance with this guy. I mean, he was gorgeous and so… clean-cut. Okay, clean-cut was the understatement of the year.

I on the other hand, was a mess and no where near gorgeous. I could be pretty if I really tried, but most of the time I just didn't care enough to put forth the effort. I never had anyone I wanted to look good for. I thought about what I must look like right now. Messy hair, old wrinkled clothes, bags under my eyes from going to sleep so late last night. I look like a complete slob.

"So, Bella, tell me about yourself." Alice said, ripping me out of my self-loathing session.

"Um, I'm 17. I grew up in Phoenix with my mom and my brother. My mom got remarried last year, to a minor league baseball player. They move around a lot, so I came here to live with my dad." It was a pretty boring story, but Alice seemed intrigued.

"Wow, it must be difficult to have to start all over in the middle of your senior year." she said, sympathetically.

"It's tough, but I'm just thankful I had this option. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to graduate on time with all the moving around." I told her honestly. My mom had always told me to look on the bright side of things and that's what I did. I tried to stay optimistic about everything, it helped me get through some hard times.

"What about your brother? Did he move here too?" I smiled thinking about Jasper. I missed him a lot. I hadn't seen him in almost three months now, hopefully that would change soon.

"No he's a sophomore in college. He lives in California right now, but he's been talking about transferring somewhere else. I don't think he's liking it as much as he thought he would." I giggled and so did Alice.

"Our older sister is going through the same thing. She hates school, but our parents won't let her drop out." I thought that last statement was a little odd. I mean, her parents really couldn't stop her if she wanted to drop out. I let it slide and continued talking with Alice throughout the rest of the period. We compared schedules and found out we had most of our classes together. When the bell rang she helped me put my books in my locker and walked with me to our next class. I glanced at Edward who was walking behind us, he gave me that crooked smile again before walking into a classroom next to the one me and Alice went into.

"So your brother seems pretty quiet." I said to Alice once we had taken our seats. She looked at me and rolled her eyes.

"He's pretty shy at first, but he could talk your ear off if he's comfortable enough." She said with a small laugh. I smiled at her as the teacher began his lecture. I wasn't paying attention though. I was thinking about those beautiful green eyes and that gorgeous head of bronze hair. I hoped that someday, Edward would be comfortable enough around me.

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**Let me know what you think! I LOVE reviews, but I won't ever demand them in exchange for new chapters! I'll update as often as I can, but I need to get back to Hands Clean next!**


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